Display device



L. D. YOUNG DISPLAY DEVICE May 11, 1954 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Jan. 3, 1952 Lewis D INVENTOR ouglosYoung flwWJ ATTORNEYS Filed Jan. 5, 1952 May 11, 1954 D. YOUNG 2,678,182

DISPLAY DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

56 FIG. IO 50 LeaisDouglosYoung ATTOR N EYS DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Jan. 3, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

Levgi s DouglosYoung flag Wm! ATTORNEYS Patented May 11, 1954 DISPLAY DEVICE Lewis Douglas Young, Providence, R. L, assignor to Douglas Young, Inc., acorporation of Rhode Island Application January 3, 1952, Serial No. 264,817

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a display device which maybe in the form of a box or pad, or may take various other forms, in and upon which articles of merchandise are assembled.

- Various ways have been attempted for tilting containers or mountings for merchandise, which usually take the form of some sort of a leg supported at an angle for tilting the box in which the merchandise is contained, as an easel with some'means of holding the leg of the easel fixedly related to the box.

7 One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple means of providing a support for a box or pad to arrange it in easel-like fashion for the display of merchandise.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement which may be easily moved to a position forshipment of the merchandise within a box or fordisplay ofthe merchandise in easellike form. Another object of the invention is to provide a device which maybe snapped from one position to the other position and be positively held in either of itstwo'positions as may be desired. With these and other objects in view,'the in-- vention consists of certain novel features of construction', will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims. In the accompanying drawings: Fig. l is a perspective view of the body part of the box equippedwith this invention and showingthe parts of the box in one position;

Fig. 2 shows an alternate position that the box may assume;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the back of the box; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig.5 is a sectional view of thehinge connection on a larger scale; 2 Fig.6 is a perspectiveview showing a box with 'a modified form of "theinvention;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 11 of 6;

Fig. 8 is a rear view of the box shown in Figs. 6 and! with the section of the box swung to its collapsed position;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a box of a diiTerent form shown in easel position; Fig. 10 is a sectional view on line |ll0 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 .is a perspective view of a box similar to the box shown in Fig, 1 illustrating a modified form of hinge;

Fig; .12 is a perspective view showing fragmentally the hinge structure of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view on line l3l3 of Fig. 11:

' Fig. 14 is a perspective View similar to Fig. 11 but illustrating a hinge of a modified structure; and

Fig. 15 is a sectional view on line |5l5 of Fig. 14.

In proceeding with this invention the bottom wall of a display device, which may be the lower containing portion of a box or may be some pad mounting, is formed in two sections, and I have hinged these sections together so that they may be swung through substantially thus permitting oi the section being used in a single plane for ordinary box purposes or swung to right angular relation so that the device may be stood up as an easel along either one of two different edges. The sections are swung about the hinge to locate the sections in either one of these two relative positions as they approach these positions, and yet the sections are limited to definite positions, to which positions they will be snapped by a spring as they approach either position.

. With reference to the drawings, I have omitted the cover of the units herein shown. The lower part of a box which contains the invention I designate generally i5. This part is provided with a bottom wall [6 in two sections IT and [8, while there is a second or inside wall l9 of one piece substantially of the size of the two sections i1, i8 and from which there extends upwardly opposite side walls 20 and 2! and opposite end walls 22 and 23. An opening '24 is formed in this secend wall it) at the location of the hinge spring. The bottom wall it extends out beyond the edges of the upstanding walls 2| and 23 providing a lip 25 surrounding the walls 20 to 23 when the sections I? and 28 are in line with each other or in a single plane.

These sections I! and [B are hinged together any suitable manner, such for instance as by the use of plates 2'! and 28 (see Fig. 5D with eyes through which a hinge pintle 29 extends. The plates are each provided with an opening iiiiwith a part 3! between this opening and thepintle raised to provide a recess. A generally C-shaped spring 32 has hook ends 33 and 34 to extend into the recesses of the hinge plates 21 and 38 so as to grip the same under tension of the C-shaped spring. This spring relationship is such that when the section 13 is swung on its hinge with reference to the section H, the spring will hold it in aligned relation as shown in Fig. 3, in which relationship it can not swing further because of engagement with the secondwall It or the spring will act to swing the sectionsto the right angular position shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4 as it approaches such position and hold it in this position by reason of the hook portions forming stops to prevent further swinging. The spring thus acts in one direction or the other, depending on which side of the mid point of the 90 arc the section I 8 is swung to.

In some cases instead of providing a bottom wall and a second wall; such as shown in Figs. 1-5, I provide a bottom wall as shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, which will also be in two sections, there being a main section 36 and a smaller section 31. This section 31 is hinged by means of plates 38 attached to the section 31 and 39 attached to the section 36, with a pintle 40 joining these plates by extending through hinge eyes. Each of these plates are similarly provided with an opening 42 and a recess 43 in which the hooks 44 and 45 of the C-shaped spring 4| engage. The action here is similar tothat above explained, in that section 31 may be held either in the plane of the section 36, as shown in Fig. 8, or it may be swung at right angles to the section 36 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. This swinging may take place by reason of engagement through the thumb hole 46 in section 31.

In still another case, Figs. 9 and 10, a pad-like arrangement may be' provided by means of a bottom wall 50 having a section 5| and another section 52, which sections have upwardly extending side walls 53 and 54 and upwardly extending end walls 55 and 55, which receive a closed container 51 of a size closely fitting within the side and end walls and of a height substantially the same as the side and end walls. This closed container has a bottom wall 58 with side and end walls 59, while it has a top wall 59 with depending side and end walls 6| which telescope the walls 59. An opening 62 is provided in the bottom wall 58 for accommodation of the spring between the bottom sections 5| and 52. There are hinge plates 63 and 64 secured to the sections 5| and 52 with a pintle 55 extending through the hinge eyes of these plates and a C-shaped spring 66 engaging recesses in these plates all the same as heretofore described.

In some cases instead of providing hinge plates with a pintle, sections such as 10 and H, Figs. 11 to 15, will have a score line at 12 between them which will provide the hinge connection and in this case there will be an opening 13 in the section 10 and an opening 14 in the section These openings will be placed with their edges such as 15 (Fig. 14) spaced from the hinge l2 and a C-shaped spring 13 will have its hook ends 11 and I8 engaging the edges of these openings 13 and 14 so as to swing the sections to the right angular position shown in Figs. 13 and 15, or to a position in linewith each other and in the same plane as has heretofore .been spoken of.

In some cases it may be desired to reinforce the portion along the hinge of the preceding paragraph with which the spring 16 engages and in such cases I may provide metal plates and 8| (Fig. 12) which will be secured to the sections 10 and H as at 82, and which metal plates will have openings 83 and recesses at 84 adjacent these openings so that the hook ends of the spring may engage these metal reinforcements in their recesses rather than the paper or cardboard of the box itself. In order that these metal plates may be positioned the desired distance apart to fit the C-shaped spring 16, a narrow webof material 85 may be positioned to join these plates for securing purposes and will bend and break apart as flexing action occurs, the narrow neck being only used for the positioning of the plates initially on the sections.

I claim:

1. An easel display device comprising a wall divided into two sections having rectilinear abutting edges and means to hinge said edges together, one of said sections having fixed thereto a second wall which extends across said hinged edges and is engaged by the other section to limit its swinging movement about said hinge, said second wall having an opening therein at the location of said hinge between said sections, a C-shaped spring in said opening spanning said abutting edges and having hook ends fixed to said two sections, said spring holding said sections either in alignment or in an angular relation a. line between the ends of said spring being on one side of the hinge axis when said sections are in substantially a single plane with one of the sections engaging said second wall and said line between the ends of the spring being on the other side of said hinge axis when said sections are at a generally right angular position to each other, means to limit the swinging movement of the sections when at substantially right angles, the edges of the sections distant from the hinge when at an angular position adapted to rest on a horizontal surface to incline one of the sections to the horizontal by the other section serving as a 2. An easel display device comprising a wall divided into two sections having rectilinear abutting edges and means to hinge said edges together, one of said sections having fixed thereto a second wall which extends across said hinged edges and is engaged by the other section to limit its swinging movement about said hinge, said second wall having an opening therein at the location of said hinge between said sections, a c shaped spring in said opening spanning said abutting edges and having hook ends fixed to said two sections, said spring holding said sections in alignment or in an angular relation a line between the ends of said spring being on one side of the hinge axis when said sections are in substantially a single plane with one of the sections engaging said second wall and said line between the ends of the spring being on the other side of said hinge axis when said sections are at a generally right angular position to each other the mid point of said spring engaging said hinge and the hook ends serving to limit the swinging movement of the sections about the hinge when at substantially right angles, the edges of the sections distant from the hinge when at an angular position adapted to rest on a horizontal surface to incline one of th sections to the horizontal by the other section serving as a prop.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,917,349 Wilmarth July 11, 1933 2,126,050 Shifiman et al. Aug. 3, 1938 2,464,524 Nathan Mar. 15, 1949 2,490,746 Carpenter Dec. 6, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 437,700 Great Britain Novv 4, i935 

